Given the abysmal health of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders living in Indigenous communities, no one disputes the need for improving health services.

President Barrack Obama’s choice of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as his first state visitor last week was meant to be about reassuring New Delhi that Washington intends to build on the strategic partnership between the two countries that blossomed under George W. Bush. But after Obama’s much criticised trip to China, the meeting was largely about repairing the damage and reassuring New Delhi that Obama will be as good a friend to India as under Bush.

What will the world look like in 2025? Will it be like The Jetsons with hover cars and spaceships to get around? Or will it be the same as today but with slightly faster Internet connections?